Fruit and vegetable products

ABSTRACT

A method for producing a fruit or vegetable product, wherein the method consists essentially of (a) infusing a whole or sliced fruit or vegetable with an infusible molecule to between 10 and 55° Brix; (b) pre-drying the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable at a temperature between 80° C. and 120° C. to produce a pre-dried fruit or vegetable; (c) exposing the pre-dried fruit or vegetable to freezing temperatures and to vacuum to a temperature between −1° C. and −40° C. and a pressure between 7.5 mmHg and 0.53 mmHg, thereby partially subliming the fruit or vegetable; (d) puffing the fruit or vegetable under vacuum between 0.1 mmHg and 600 mmHg at a temperature between 40° C. and 110° C.; (e) cooling the fruit or vegetable under vacuum to a temperature between 0° C. and 40° C., to thereby produce the fruit or vegetable product.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Application No. 62/303,334,filed on Mar. 3, 2016, U.S. Application No. 62/304,059, filed on Mar. 4,2016, U.S. Application No. 62/344,130, filed on Jun. 1, 2016, and U.S.Application No. 62/438,359, filed on Dec. 22, 2016, the contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure provides, inter alia, fruit and vegetableproducts and methods of making the fruit and vegetable products.

BACKGROUND

Dried fruits and vegetables have gained popularity as a nutritioussnack, but fruits and vegetables that are fried have a high fat contentand are unhealthy and unappetizing. Most fruit and vegetable snacks thatare not fried are chewy rather than crunchy. While fresh fruits andvegetables contain more than 80% water, crunchy snacks require moistureremoval down to approximately 1% to 7% moisture. Large amounts ofmoisture removal upon drying results in shriveling and shrinking of thefruit or vegetable, making the product less palatable. Freeze-dryingfruits and vegetables, which utilizes conduction and/or radiationheating and, as a result, tends to be an extremely slow and inefficientprocess, retains the general shape of the dried fruit or vegetable, butnon-infused/commercially available, dried fruits and vegetablestypically have a crumbly texture rather than a more appealing crunchytexture. The present invention provides fruit and vegetable productsthat are puffy and crunchy, while retaining most of their original shapeand volume.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is based, in part, on the discovery that puffy,crunchy fruit and vegetable products can be produced by treating fruitsand vegetables to create a pressure differential between the inside andoutside of the fruits and vegetables, for example, using sub-atmosphericpressure. These treatments expand the fruits and vegetables and, upondrying, cause the fruits and vegetables to take on a glassy, crunchytexture. Accordingly, in one aspect, the present specification providesmethods of making fruit and vegetable products. The methods include, forexample exposing a whole or sliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum toheat at a temperature of about 26° C. to about 110° C., wherein thevacuum creates an atmosphere of about 0.1 mmHg to about 600 mmHg, tothereby expand the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable; dehydrating thewhole or sliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum that creates anatmosphere of about 0.1 mmHg to about 600 mmHg to a moisture content ofabout 1% to about 15%; and cooling the whole or sliced fruit orvegetable under vacuum that creates an atmosphere of about 0.1 mmHg toabout 600 mmHg to a temperature of about 0° C. to about 40° C., tothereby produce the fruit or vegetable product.

In one embodiment the methods include scarifying, pricking, slicing, orscraping the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable prior to exposing thewhole or sliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum to heat. In someembodiments, the methods include extracting juice from the whole orsliced fruit or vegetable prior to exposing the whole or sliced fruit orvegetable under vacuum to heat. In one embodiment, the methods includeinfusing the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable with an infusiblemolecule prior to exposing the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable undervacuum to heat. In some embodiments, the infusible molecule is selectedfrom the group consisting of a monosaccharide, disaccharide,trisaccharide, oligosaccharide, polysaccharide, fiber, vitamins,minerals, proteins, flavors, salt, seasoning, or any combinationthereof.

In some embodiments, the methods include pre-drying the whole or slicedfruit or vegetable prior to exposing the whole or sliced fruit orvegetable under vacuum to heat, e.g. at a temperature of about 70° C. toabout 120° C. In some embodiments, the methods include pre-drying thewhole or sliced fruit or vegetable to a moisture content of about 25% orabove. In some embodiments, the methods include pre-drying the whole orsliced fruit or vegetable with a convection dryer, air dryer,impingement dryer, microwave, infrared dryer, and/or air impinger.

In some embodiments, the methods include exposing the whole or slicedfruit or vegetable under vacuum to heat at a temperature of about 26° C.to about 110° C. is performed with convection or conduction heating orinfrared or microwave radiation.

In some embodiments, the methods include exposing the whole or slicedfruit or vegetable under vacuum to heat at a temperature of about 80°C.-90° C.

In some embodiments, the vacuum pressure is about 0.1 mmHg to about 100mmHg.

In some embodiments, the methods include the whole or sliced fruit orvegetable is an infused fruit or vegetable. In some embodiments, themethods include the infused fruit or vegetable is infused with amonosaccharide, disaccharide, trisaccharide, oligosaccharide,polysaccharide, fiber, vitamins, minerals, proteins, flavors, salt,seasoning, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable is acranberry, a blueberry, an elderberry, a chokeberry, a lingonberry, araspberry, or a grape.

In some embodiments, the methods include coating the whole or slicedfruit or vegetable with sugar, spices, seasoning, oil, oil blend,chocolate, yogurt, flavorings, natural flavorings, or any combinationthereof.

In some embodiments, the methods include dehydrating the whole or slicedfruit or vegetable under vacuum to a moisture content of about 1% toabout 7%. In some embodiments, the methods include dehydrating the wholeor sliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum to a moisture content of about7% to about 15%.

In one aspect, the present specification provides fruit or vegetableproduct produced by any of the methods herein.

In still another aspect, the present specification provides methods forproducing fruit and vegetable products where the method includespre-drying a whole or sliced fruit or vegetable; puffing the whole orsliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum at a temperature above 21° C.;freeze-drying the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum to amoisture content of about 1% to about 15%; and subliming the whole orsliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum, to thereby produce the fruit orvegetable product.

In some embodiments, the methods include scarifying, pricking, slicing,or scraping the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable prior to exposing thewhole or sliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum to expand and dehydrate.In some embodiments, the methods include extracting juice from the wholeor sliced fruit or vegetable prior to exposing the whole or sliced fruitor vegetable under vacuum to heat. In some embodiments, the methodsinclude infusing the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable with aninfusible molecule prior to exposing the whole or sliced fruit orvegetable under vacuum to heat. In some embodiments the infusiblemolecule is selected from the group consisting of a monosaccharide,disaccharide, trisaccharide, oligosaccharide, polysaccharide, fiber,vitamins, minerals, proteins, flavors, salt, seasoning, or anycombination thereof.

In some embodiments, the methods include pre-drying the whole or slicedfruit or vegetable at a temperature of about 70° C. to about 120° C. Insome embodiments, the methods include pre-drying the whole or slicedfruit or vegetable to a moisture content of about 25% or above. In someembodiments, the methods include pre-drying the whole or sliced fruit orvegetable with a convection dryer, air dryer, impingement dryer,microwave, infrared dryer, and/or air impinger.

In some embodiments, the methods include exposing the whole or slicedfruit or vegetable under vacuum to heat at a temperature of about 26° C.to about 110° C. with convection or conduction heating or infrared ormicrowave radiation. In some embodiments, the methods include exposingthe whole or sliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum to heat at atemperature of about 90° C.

In some embodiments, the vacuum pressure is about 0.1 mmHg to about 100mmHg.

In some embodiments, the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable is aninfused fruit or vegetable. In some embodiments, the infused fruit orvegetable is infused with a monosaccharide, disaccharide, trisaccharide,oligosaccharide, polysaccharide, vitamins, minerals, proteins, flavors,salt, seasoning, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable is acranberry, a blueberry, an elderberry, a chokeberry, a lingonberry, araspberry, or a grape.

In some embodiments, the methods include coating the whole or slicedfruit or vegetable with sugar, spices, seasoning, oil, oil blend,chocolate, yogurt, flavorings, natural flavorings, or any combinationthereof.

In some embodiments, the methods include freeze-drying the whole orsliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum to a moisture content of about 1%to about 7%. In some embodiments, the methods include freeze-drying thewhole or sliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum to a moisture content ofabout 7% to about 15%.

In one aspect, the present specification provides fruit or vegetableproduct produced by any of the methods herein.

In still another aspect, the present specification features a berryproduct with a moisture content of about 1% to about 15%; and a hardnessof about 500 g to about 15000 g.

In some embodiments, the berry comprises a moisture content of about 1%to about 7%. In some embodiments, the berry comprises a moisture contentof about 5%.

In some embodiments, the berry comprises a porosity of about 0.4% toabout 0.8%.

In some embodiments, the berry comprises a bulk density of about 0.1 to0.3 g/cc, an apparent density of about 0.2 to about 0.5 g/cc, and a truedensity of about 0.8 to about 1.2 g/cc.

In some embodiments, the berry is a cranberry, a blueberry, anelderberry, a chokeberry, a lingonberry, or a raspberry.

In some embodiments, the berry product further includes a coating ofsugar, spices, seasoning, oil, oil blend, chocolate, yogurt, flavorings,natural flavorings, or any combination thereof.

In still another aspect, the present disclosure provides a method forproducing a fruit or vegetable product, wherein the method includesexposing a fruit or vegetable under vacuum to heat at a temperature ofabout 80° C. for a first time period followed by 50° C. for a secondtime period, wherein the vacuum creates an atmosphere of about 0.7 toabout 10 mbar, to thereby produce the fruit or vegetable product.

In some embodiments, the methods include infusing a fruit or vegetablewith an infusion formulation to about 10 to 30° Brix.

In some embodiments, the methods include pre-drying the fruit orvegetable to about 40 to 55° Brix; freezing the fruit or vegetable atabout −1° C. to about 40° C.;

In some embodiments, the methods include extracting juice from the wholeor sliced fruit or vegetable prior to infusing. In some embodiments, themethods include infusing with an infusible molecule selected from thegroup consisting of a monosaccharide, disaccharide, trisaccharide,oligosaccharide, polysaccharide, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, pre-drying is performed with a convection dryer,air dryer, impingement dryer, microwave, infrared dryer, and/or airimpinger.

In some embodiments, the methods include exposing the fruit or vegetableunder vacuum to heat with convection or conduction heating or infraredor microwave radiation.

In some embodiments, the fruit or vegetable is a cranberry, a blueberry,an elderberry, a chokeberry, a lingonberry, a raspberry, or a grape.

In another aspect, the present specification provides for a fruit orvegetable product produced by the methods herein.

In still another aspect, the present disclosure provides a method forproducing a fruit or vegetable product, wherein the method comprisesexposing a whole or sliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum to atemperature of about −40° C. to about 110° C., wherein the vacuumcreates an atmosphere of about 0.1 mmHg to about 600 mmHg, to therebyexpand the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable; dehydrating the whole orsliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum that creates an atmosphere ofabout 0.1 mmHg to about 600 mmHg to a moisture content of about 1% toabout 15%; and cooling the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable undervacuum that creates an atmosphere of about 0.1 mmHg to about 600 mmHg toa temperature of about 0° C. to about 40° C., to thereby produce thefruit or vegetable product.

In some embodiments, the methods include scarifying, pricking, slicing,or scraping the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable prior to exposing thewhole or sliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum. In some embodiments,the methods include extracting juice from the whole or sliced fruit orvegetable prior to exposing the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable undervacuum. In some embodiments, the methods include infusing the whole orsliced fruit or vegetable with an infusible molecule prior to exposingthe whole or sliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum. In someembodiments, the infusible molecule is selected from the groupconsisting of a monosaccharide, disaccharide, trisaccharide,oligosaccharide, polysaccharide, fiber, vitamins, minerals, proteins,flavors, salt, seasoning, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the methods include pre-drying the whole or slicedfruit or vegetable prior to exposing the whole or sliced fruit orvegetable under vacuum. In some embodiments, the methods includepre-drying the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable at a temperature ofabout 70° C. to about 120° C. In some embodiments, the methods includepre-drying the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable to a moisture contentof about 25% or above.

In some embodiments, the methods include pre-drying the whole or slicedfruit or vegetable with a convection dryer, air dryer, impingementdryer, microwave, infrared dryer, and/or air impinger.

In some embodiments, the methods include exposing the whole or slicedfruit or vegetable under vacuum to heat at a temperature of about −40°C. to about 110° C. with convection or conduction heating or infrared ormicrowave radiation. In some embodiments, the methods include exposingthe whole or sliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum to heat at atemperature of 80° C.-90° C.

In some embodiments, the vacuum pressure is about 0.1 mmHg to about 100mmHg.

In some embodiments, the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable is aninfused fruit or vegetable. In some embodiments, the infused fruit orvegetable is infused with a monosaccharide, disaccharide, trisaccharide,oligosaccharide, polysaccharide, fiber, vitamins, minerals, proteins,flavors, salt, seasoning, or any combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable is acranberry, a blueberry, an elderberry, a chokeberry, a lingonberry, araspberry, or a grape.

In some embodiments, the methods include coating the whole or slicedfruit or vegetable with sugar, spices, seasoning, oil, oil blend,chocolate, yogurt, flavorings, natural flavorings, or any combinationthereof.

In some embodiments, the methods include dehydrating the whole or slicedfruit or vegetable under vacuum to a moisture content of about 1% toabout 7%. In some embodiments, the methods include dehydrating the wholeor sliced fruit or vegetable under vacuum to a moisture content of about7% to about 15%.

In another aspect, the present specification provides for a fruit orvegetable product produced by any of the methods herein.

As used herein, the term “fruit” refers to firm fruits, soft fruits,sliced pieces with skin remaining, and/or scarified/pricked/scrapedfruit, which are well-known in the art, and described herein. In someinstances, the fruit material can be a berry. In some instances, theberry can be cranberry, blueberry, elderberry, chokeberry, lingonberry,raspberry, gooseberry, huckleberry, strawberry, blackberry, cloudberry,grape, blackcurrant, redcurrant, white currant, and/or or any mixturethereof.

“Firm fruits” are fruits that resist structural collapse undersubstantial compression. Examples include cranberries, apples, andcherries. On the other hand, “soft fruits” are more readily collapsed.Examples include blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, kiwi, guava,mango, and passion.

As used herein, the term “berry” refers to fruits that are well-known inthe art, and described herein. In some instances, the berry can becranberry, blueberry, elderberry, chokeberry, lingonberry, raspberry,gooseberry, huckleberry, strawberry, blackberry, cloudberry, grape,blackcurrant, redcurrant, white currant, and/or or any mixture thereof.Other fruits are amenable to treatment in accordance with the presentlydescribed methods, such as cherries, mango, pineapple, kiwi, guava,date, apple, apricot, plum, prune, pear, passion, and peach, amongothers.

“Vegetables” can include cabbage, turnip, radish, carrot, celery,parsnip, beetroot, lettuce, beans, peas, potato, eggplant, tomato,cucumber, squash, onion, garlic, leek, pepper, spinach, yam, sweetpotato, and cassava.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical terms used herein have the samemeaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art towhich this invention belongs. Methods and materials are described hereinfor use in the present invention; other suitable methods and materialsknown in the art can also be used. The methods, materials, and examplesare illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. All publications,patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein areincorporated by reference in their entirety. In case of conflict, thepresent specification, including definitions, will control.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description and figures, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a line graph showing the texture analysis profile of aninfused, puffed, and crunchy cranberry produced by the methods describedherein.

FIG. 2 is a line graph showing the texture analysis profile of acommercially-available non-infused freeze dried cranberries.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart describing an exemplary method of producing aberry product described herein.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart describing an exemplary method of producing apuffed but not crunchy product and a puffed and crunchy berry productdescribed herein.

FIG. 5 is a photograph of a freeze-dried cranberry product produced bythe methods described herein.

FIG. 6 is a photograph of a freeze-dried cranberry product produced bythe methods described herein.

FIG. 7A is a photograph of commercially available freeze-driedcranberries without infusion.

FIG. 7B is a photograph of freeze dried cranberries with infusedcranberry products produced by the methods described herein.

FIG. 8A is a photograph of an infused, crunchy cranberry dried undervacuum at 8× magnification.

FIG. 8B is a photograph of an infused, crunchy cranberry dried undervacuum at 16× magnification.

FIG. 9 is a photograph of a cranberry product produced by the methodsdescribed in Example 2.

FIG. 10 is a photograph of a cranberry product produced by the methodsdescribed in Example 2.

FIG. 11 is a photograph of cranberry products produced by the methodsdescribed in Example 3.

FIG. 12 is a photograph of cranberry products produced by the methodsdescribed in Example 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Dried fruits and vegetables have gained popularity as a nutritioussnack, but removal of large amounts of moisture to produce dried fruitsand vegetables results in shriveled and shrunken fruits and vegetables,making the product less appealing. While freeze-dried fruits andvegetables may retain the general shape of the original fruits andvegetables, freeze-drying requires a high energy cost of operation, andit can be an extremely slow process. Moreover, commercially-availablefreeze-dried fruits and vegetables have a crumbly texture rather than amore appealing crunchy texture. The present disclosure providesefficient methods to dry fruits and vegetables and produce fruit andvegetable products that can be characterized as puffy and crunchy.

Fruit and Vegetable Products

Fruit and vegetable products, as described herein, are fruits andvegetables that retain most of its original shape and volume, e.g.,greater than or about 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, or greaterthan or about 95% of the volume of the original fruit and vegetable. Inone embodiment, the fruit and vegetable products contain whole fruits orwhole vegetables. In some embodiments, the fruit and vegetable productsare slices, wedges, or chunks of fruits or vegetables. In someembodiments, the fruit and vegetable products have a moisture content ofabout 1% to about 7% moisture, e.g., about 1% to about 2%, about 1% toabout 3%, about 1% to about 4%, about 1% to about 5%, about 2% to about4%, about 2% to about 5%, about 3% to about 6%, about 4% to about 7%,about 5% to about 7%, or about 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, or about 7%. See,Table. In other embodiments, the fruit and vegetable products have amoisture content of about 7% to about 15% moisture, e.g., about 8% toabout 14%, about 9% to about 13%, or about 10% to about 12%. Whileberries are used as an example, skilled practitioners will appreciatethat the methods described herein can be readily adapted to be performedon any fruit or vegetable described herein. Whole berries include, e.g.,berries that have not been processed in any way, berries that have beenextracted to remove juice, and berries that have been extracted toremove juice and subsequently infused with an infusion syrup comprisingsugar and/or other infusible molecules, e.g., fiber or maltodextrin.

TABLE Properties of an Example of a Puffy, Crunchy Cranberry ProductPROPERTY VALUE Moisture Content   1-7% Hardness 500-15000 g Porosity0.4-0.8% Bulk Density 0.1-0.4 g/cc Apparent Density 0.2-0.7 g/cc TrueDensity 0.3-1.5 g/cc

The fruit and vegetable products produced using the methods describedherein have unique characteristics. In one embodiment, they arerelatively crunchy, e.g., as compared to fruit or vegetable that hasbeen simply dried using a prior art method, which typically have acrumbly/powdery texture. The products can have a hardness of about 500to about 5000 g, e.g., about 1100 to about 4900 g, about 1500 to about4500 g, about 2000 to about 4000 g, or about 2500 to about 3500 g. Otherproducts produced by the present methods have a hardness of about 500 toabout 15000 g, e.g., about 600 to about 14000 g, about 700 to about13000 g, about 800 to about 12000 g, about 900 to about 11000 g, about1000 to about 10000 g, about 1100 to about 9000 g, about 600 to about9000 g, about 700 to about 8000 g, about 700 to about 7000 g, about 800to about 6000 g, about 900 to about 5000 g, about 1000 to about 4000 g,about 1100 to about 3000 g, about 1200 to about 2000 g, or about 1000 g,1200 g, 1500 g, 1700 g, 2000 g, 2500 g, 3000 g, 3500 g, 4000 g, 4500 g,or about 7000 g. Skilled practitioners will appreciate that while thepeak force required to break a commercially-available freeze-dried fruitor vegetable (which can be referred to as the hardness of the fruit orvegetable) might be similar in value to the products produced by thepresently described methods, the nature of force required to break thepresently described products is different from a commercially-availablefreeze-dried fruit or vegetable. FIG. 1 represents the force required(in grams) to break an exemplary infused cranberry made by the presentmethods, whereas FIG. 2 represents the force required (in grams) tobreak a commercially-available freeze-dried cranberry. While bothproducts require a somewhat similar breaking force, the peaks of forceneeded to break infused, crunchy cranberries made by the presentmethods, as represented in FIG. 1, are much sharper than the peaks offorce required to break the commercially-available freeze-driedcranberry, as represented in FIG. 2. The sharp peaks in the texture datacorroborates sensory characteristics of the product made using thepresent invention which was crunchy, rather than mealy and crumblyproducts made with traditional freeze-drying process availablecommercially. Moreover, the commercially-available freeze-driedcranberry was found to show negative force at the end of the test atabout 5.5 to 6 seconds in FIG. 2, which was absent in the products madeusing the present invention. Skilled practitioners will appreciate somevariability with fruits and vegetables, hence a very high or low forcemay occasionally be required to break the products described herein.

The fruit and vegetable products can have a porosity of about 0.4 toabout 0.8%, e.g., about 0.45 to about 0.75%, about 0.5 to about 0.7%, orabout 0.55 to about 0.65%. For example, the fruit or vegetable productscan have a porosity of about 0.41%, 0.42%, 0.43%, 0.44%, 0.45%, 0.46%,0.47%, 0.48%, or about 0.49%. The fruit and vegetable products can havea bulk density of about 0.1 to about 0.4 g/cc, e.g., about 0.11 to about0.29 g/cc, about 0.13 to about 0.27 g/cc, about 0.19 to about 0.26 g/cc,about 0.25 to about 0.4 g/cc, about 0.3 to about 0.4 g/cc, about 0.1 toabout 0.35 g/cc, about 0.2 to about 0.35 g/cc, or about 0.25 g/cc, 0.3g/cc, or about 0.35 g/cc. The products can have an apparent density of,for example, about 0.2 g/cc to about 0.7 g/cc, e.g., about 0.25 g/cc toabout 0.45 g/cc, about 0.28 g/cc to about 0.42 g/cc, about 0.3 g/cc toabout 0.65 g/cc, about 0.4 g/cc to about 0.7 g/cc, about 0.5 g/cc toabout 0.7 g/cc, about 0.6 g/cc to about 0.7 g/cc, or about 0.2 g/cc, 0.3g/cc, 0.4 g/cc, 0.5 g/cc, 0.6 g/cc, or about 0.7 g/cc. The products canhave a true density of, for example, about 0.3 g/cc to about 1.5 g/cc,e.g., about 0.6 g/cc to about 1.4 g/cc, about 0.7 g/cc to about 1.3g/cc, about 0.8 g/cc to about 1.2 g/cc, about 0.9 g/cc to about 1.1g/cc, about 0.5 g/cc to about 1.5 g/cc, about 0.3 g/cc to about 1.2g/cc, about 1.0 g/cc to about 1.5 g/cc, or about 0.3 g/cc, 0.5 g/cc, 0.7g/cc, 1 g/cc, 1.2 g/cc, or about 1.5 g/cc. In some embodiments, thefruit and vegetable products are puffy, but not crunchy. For example,the puffy, but not crunchy products have a moisture content of about 7%to about 15%, e.g., about 8% to about 14%, about 9% to about 13%, about10% to about 12%, or about 8%, 9%, 10%, 11%, 12%, 13%, 14%, or about15%. The puffy, but not crunchy-type products are relatively less hard,e.g., a hardness of about 200 to about 1200 g, have relatively smootherpeaks generated in the texture analyzer, but otherwise have similarporosity, bulk density, apparent density, and true density as the puffy,crunchy products.

Skilled practitioners will appreciate that the moisture content,hardness, porosity, and density of the fruit and vegetable products canbe determined using a number of methods known in the art. However,exemplary methods that can be used for determining the values describedin the present specification are described below.

Bulk density was determined by weighing the sample occupying a specificvolume. Apparent Density was determined by measuring the volume ofsunflower oil that a sample of pre-weighed product displaced while theproduct was submerged in the oil in a graduated cylinder. True Densitywas determined using the above method using sunflower oil and acylinder, except the sample was crushed to powder using a mortar andpestle before it was submerged in the sunflower oil in a graduatedcylinder.

Porosity of the samples was calculated using the following formula:Porosity=1−(Apparent Density/True Density).

Hardness of a sample was determined by the force it took for an incisorprobe ((TA-45) supplied by Texture Technologies, Hamilton, Mass.)attached to a 50 kg load cell to crush the product under a TA.XTplustexture analyzer manufactured by Stable Micro Systems, Surrey, UK. Thetests were run under compression mode, with pre-test speed of 1.00mm/sec, test speed of 2.00 mm/second a trigger force of 100 g. Thereadout of the TA.XTplus texture analyzer was expressed in grams.

Methods to Produce Fruit and Vegetable Products

The fruit and vegetable products described herein can be produced in anumber of ways. Exemplary schemes are described in the flowcharts shownin FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 shows a scheme that could use a vacuum todehydrate and cool the fruit or vegetable products. Also shown in FIG.3, dehydration and cooling can be alternatively accomplished byfreeze-drying and sublimation. FIG. 4 depicts two alternative schemes,one that can be used to produce puffy, but not crunchy products, andanother scheme that can be used to produce puffy and crunchy products.Whole berries are used for illustrative purposes only, and skilledpractitioners will appreciate that the methods described herein can bereadily adapted for any fruit or vegetable. Further, while whole berriesare used for illustrative purposes, skilled practitioners willappreciate that the methods can also be used on slices (e.g.,cranberries cut in roughly half), wedges, or chunks, of any fruit orvegetable described herein. Referring to the flowcharts described inFIGS. 3 and 4, berries, e.g., frozen whole berries, such as cranberries,are sorted and cleaned in preparation for the process. Optionally,berries are then scarified, pricked, and/or abraded. Scarification,pricking, and abrasive methods are well known in the art, and any methodcan be used in the present methods. Optionally, berries may then beextracted, e.g., using a countercurrent extractor, to extract juice.

To produce a crunchier fruit and vegetable product, a higher solidcontent in the fruit or vegetable may be useful. While some fruits andvegetables, e.g., grapes, have a high solid content, e.g., a solidcontent of greater than or about 15° Brix, other fruits and vegetables,e.g., cranberries, have a relatively low solid content, e.g., a solidcontent of less than or about 10° Brix. To create a crunchier fruit andvegetable product, the fruit or vegetable may optionally be infused,e.g., to about 20° Brix to about 55° Brix, about 30° Brix to about 50°Brix, about 35° Brix to about 45° Brix, about 40° Brix to about 55°Brix, about 45° Brix to about 55° Brix, or about 50° Brix to about 55°Brix, by, for example, using a countercurrent infuser. Any art knownmethod of infusing a berry can be used. Further, the infusion materialcan include any art-known infusible molecule, e.g., sugar,carbohydrates, maltodextrins, sugar alcohols, soluble fibers, salts suchas sodium, calcium, magnesium and/or potassium salts, and/or fruitjuices, e.g., apple juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, mango juice,grape juice, guava juice, strawberry juice, banana juice, kiwi juice,watermelon juice, lemon juice, and/or pomegranate juice. Some infusiblemolecules will produce a crunchy, glass structure, e.g.,monosaccharides, including aldoses, such as glucose and ketoses, such asfructose or their derivatives, such as allulose (ribo-2-huxulose) ortheir reduced alditols, such as sorbitol, and syrups naturally enrichedwith such materials, disaccharides, such as sucrose, isomaltose,trehalose, isolmaltulose, and syrups naturally enriched with suchmaterials, trisaccharides, such as maltotriose, oligosaccharides, suchas inulin, corn syrup, and maltodextrin, and polysaccharides.Accordingly, to produce a crunchier fruit or vegetable, a practitionercan choose to infuse the fruit or vegetable with an infusible moleculethat will produce a crunchy, glassy structure.

Berries may then optionally be pre-dried to remove at least somemoisture to achieve a moisture content that is less than that found inan untreated berry. For example, pre-drying of berries can be performedat a temperature of about 70° C. to about 120° C., e.g., about 80° C. toabout 120° C., about 90° C. to about 120° C., about 100° C. to about120° C., about 110° C. to about 120° C., about 70° C. to about 110° C.,about 70° C. to about 100° C., about 70° C. to about 90° C., or about70° C., 80° C., 90° C., 100° C., 110° C., or about 120° C., to dry theberries to about 20% moisture content or above, e.g., about 25%, 30%,35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, or about 80%. Skilledpractitioners will appreciate that any methods or apparatuses canpotentially be used to dehydrate a whole or sliced fruit or vegetable,e.g., convection dryer, air dryer, infrared oven, microwave oven and/orair impinger. To expand the berries, they are exposed to a lowatmospheric pressure, e.g., via a vacuum, e.g., an atmospheric pressureof about 0.1 mmHg to about 600 mmHg, e.g., about 0.1 to about 575 mmHg,about 10 to about 550 mmHg, about 20 to about 500 mmHg, about 30 toabout 450 mmHg, about 40 to about 400 mmHg, about 50 to about 350 mmHg,about 60 to about 300 mmHg, about 70 to about 250 mmHg, about 80 toabout 200 mmHg, about 90 to about 150 mmHg, about 100 to about 120 mmHg,about 10 to about 100 mmHg, about 20 to about 80 mmHg, about 20 to about100 mmHg, about 50 to about 100 mmHg, about 75 to about 100 mmHg, orabout 1 mmHg, 10 mmHg, 50 mmHg, 100 mmHg, 150 mmHg, 200 mmHg, 250 mmHg,300 mmHg, 350 mmHg, 400 mmHg, 450 mmHg, 500 mmHg, or about 550 mmHg, andheated above the glass transition temperature of the berry, e.g., about26° C. to about 110° C., e.g., about 28° C. to about 110° C., about 30°C. to about 110° C., about 35° C. to about 110° C., about 40° C. toabout 110° C., about 45° C. to about 110° C., about 50° C. to about 110°C., about 55° C. to about 110° C., about 60° C. to about 110° C., about65° C. to about 110° C., about 70° C. to about 110° C., about 75° C. toabout 110° C., about 80° C. to about 110° C., about 85° C. to about 110°C., about 90° C. to about 110° C., about 95° C. to about 110° C., about100° C. to about 110° C., about 105° C. to about 110° C., about 26° C.to about 105° C., about 26° C. to about 100° C., about 26° C. to about95° C., about 26° C. to about 90° C., about 26° C. to about 85° C.,about 26° C. to about 80° C., about 26° C. to about 75° C., about 26° C.to about 70° C., about 26° C. to about 65° C., about 26° C. to about 60°C., about 26° C. to about 55° C., about 26° C. to about 50° C., about26° C. to about 45° C., about 26° C. to about 40° C., about 26° C. toabout 35° C., about 26° C. to about 30° C., or about 26° C., 30° C., 35°C., 40° C., 45° C., 50° C., 55° C., 60° C., 65° C., 70° C., 75° C., 80°C., 85° C., 90° C., 95° C., 100° C., 105° C., or about 110° C. Thesource of heat is typically radiation, such as infrared or microwave,however, conduction or convection heating may also be utilized. Due tothe below-atmospheric pressure, the whole, dried fruit or vegetable willexpand to near the initial size of the fruit or vegetable, e.g., greaterthan or about 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, or greater than orabout 95% of the volume of the original fruit and vegetable.

The expanded berries can then be dehydrated under vacuum to “lock-in”the expanded configuration of the fruit or vegetable. When the berriesare brought back to room temperature after drying (e.g. cooled down ifdehydrated with heat), the berries remain puffy even when the vacuum isremoved. Typically, more dehydration of the fruit or vegetable canproduce a crunchier product. Therefore, if a crunchier product isdesired, the fruit or vegetable should be dehydrated to a low enoughmoisture content (e.g., about 7% or less) so that the glass transitiontemperature is above room temperature, and the majority of the productremains in a glassy state after cooling, e.g., to about roomtemperature. See, FIG. 4. Conversely, if a non-crunchy, but puffedproduct is desired, the product can be dehydrated to a moisture contentof greater than about 7%, e.g., about 7 to about 15%, about 8 to about14%, about 9 to about 12%, or about 10 to about 12%. See, FIG. 4.

In one exemplary method, partially dried fruit or vegetable products, ina relatively crumbly/powdery state after pre-drying, can be placed undervacuum at a temperature above the glass transition temperature to expandthe dried fruit or vegetable product using, for example, a vacuummicrowave or a vacuum infrared or a fluid bed dryer with a vacuum ofabout 150 mmHg, e.g., about 100 mmHg, 110 mmHg, 120 mmHg, 130 mmHg, 140mmHg, 160 mmHg, 170 mmHg, 180 mmHg, 190 mmHg, or about 200 mmHg.Alternatively, or additionally, a whole or sliced fruit or vegetable canbe simultaneously expanded and dehydrated under vacuum using, forexample, a vacuum dryer for a time sufficient to bring the berries tothe desired final moisture content, e.g., in a range of about 1% toabout 7%, e.g., about 1% to about 2%, about 1% to about 3%, about 1% toabout 4%, about 1% to about 5%, about 2% to about 3%, about 2% to about4%, about 2% to about 5%, about 3% to about 6%, about 4% to about 7%,about 5% to about 7%, or about 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, or about 7%.Skilled practitioners will appreciate that any methods or commerciallyavailable apparatuses can potentially be used to dehydrate a whole orsliced fruit or vegetable. For example, the berries can be dehydrated inthe same apparatus used to expand the berries or in a differentapparatus and at the same vacuum pressure or a reduced vacuum pressure.By decreasing the moisture content of the fruit or vegetable to about 1%to about 7%, the glass transition temperature of the fruit or vegetablewill be raised above room temperature, e.g., about 35° C. or about 40°C., so that the fruit or vegetable will retain a glassy, crunchystructure even at or below room temperature.

The berries can then be cooled while still under vacuum to a temperaturebelow the glass transition temperature of the berries, e.g., to about 0°C. to about 40° C., about 4° C. to about 30° C., about 10° C. to about25° C., about 15° C. to about 30° C., about 20° C. to about 30° C., orabout 0° C., 4° C., 10° C., 15° C., 17° C., 20° C., 22° C., 25° C., 30°C., 35° C., or about 40° C., while maintaining or reducing vacuumpressure to lock in the structure of the expanded berries. Skilledpractitioners will appreciate that any method or apparatus canpotentially be used to cool the berries, and the apparatus can be thesame apparatus used to expand and/or dehydrate the berries or adifferent apparatus. After cooling, the vacuum can be released.Following release of the vacuum, the berries can optionally be packaged,e.g., in a high moisture barrier package.

Alternatively, rather than dehydrating and cooling the berries undervacuum, the expanded berries can be freeze-dried under vacuum at below4.579 mmHg, and then sublimed under vacuum. When puffing, freeze-drying,and subliming is the chosen method, the aforementioned pre-drying stepis required, and is not optional (see FIG. 3). Pre-drying the berriesbefore freeze-drying provides a more optimal texture than freeze-dryingalone. Without being bound by theory, the pre-drying operation may allowsugar crystals in the berry to rearrange forming a quasi-crystal thatgives the product a unique crunch. Pre-drying the berries beforefreeze-drying also shortens the freeze-drying step as there is lessmoisture content remaining in the berries when the freeze-drying stepbegins. Additionally, pre-drying the berries reduces costs andmanufacturing time as the freeze-drying process after pre-drying can beshortened in comparison to the freeze-drying process for berries thatare not pre-dried.

In another process, the berries can be puffed under vacuum, freeze-driedunder vacuum, sublimed under vacuum, and then dehydrated above thetriple point under vacuum. In this process, the pre-drying step isoptional. This process has a temperatures range of about −40° C. toabout 110° C.

Skilled practitioners will appreciate that the berries can befreeze-dried and sublimed in the same apparatus used to expand theberries or in a different apparatus. Skilled practitioners will alsoappreciate that the berries may be pre-dried and then subjected tovacuum to puff the berries back up before freeze-drying. Alternatively,only up to about 600 mmHg is required to puff the fruit back up beforefreezing, followed by further reduction of vacuum to 4.579 mmHg, beforethe normal freeze-drying process is carried out. Further, the samevacuum pressure or a reduced vacuum pressure can be used to freeze-dryand sublime the expanded berries. When the berries are brought back toroom temperature after drying (e.g. warmed up after freeze-drying), theberries remain puffy and crunchy even when the vacuum is removed.

In another process, the berries can be frozen and then freeze-driedunder vacuum. Freeze-drying may also include subliming under vacuum. Theberries can then be dehydrated above the triple point under vacuum andthen cooled under vacuum. These berries are puffed during the transitionfrom subliming under vacuum to dehydrating under vacuum as thetemperature is increased.

In in some instances, it can be advantageous to pre-freeze the fruit,e.g., at about 0° C., −10° C., −20° C., −30° C., −40° C., −50° C., −60°C., or about −70° C., prior to vacuum drying the fruit, e.g., at about0.1 to 10 mbar, e.g., about 0.7 mbar.

Upon infusion to a moisture content of about 1 to 7%, e.g., about 1%,2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, or about 7%, the puffy, infused cranberry productwas surprisingly crunchy. See, FIGS. 5 and 6. In contrast, regular,commercially-available freeze dried berries are not infused and notcrunchy. Also surprising is that infusion does not change the cellstructure of the berries significantly, if the berries are not subjectedto a drastic pre-drying heat treatment, even though the product textureis very different (FIGS. 7A and 7B), and even while sugars form withinthe berries in a glassy state (FIGS. 8A and 8B). FIG. 8A is a photographof an infused, crunchy cranberry dried under vacuum at 8× magnification.FIG. 8B is a photograph of an infused, crunchy cranberry dried undervacuum at 16× magnification. Exemplary berry products are pictured inFIGS. 9 and 10 produced using a vacuum oven, as described in Example 2.As seen in FIGS. 9 and 10, products produced using the methods describedherein have a unique appearance. It is notable that the berry productsshown in FIGS. 9 and 10 generally maintain their color, shape and size,as compared to the berry prior to treatment. The berry products alsotake on a glassy appearance following treatment.

Food Products

The present disclosure also provides food products that include thefruit and/or vegetable products described herein. For example, the fruitand/or vegetable product can be included as an ingredient in ready toeat cereals. Such food products can also be in the form of a mass, e.g.,a cereal bar, protein bar, granola bar, or chocolate bar. For example,fruit and vegetable products can be admixed with cereal and formed intoa bar such as with a binder. In some embodiments, the bars can includeone or more separate layer(s) or region(s) that include(s) the fruit orvegetable product. Alternatively, or in addition, bars can include anouter coating of the fruit and/or vegetable product, i.e., where thefruit and/or vegetable product coats at least a part of, e.g., theentire, surface of the bar. Fruit and vegetable products describedherein can be coated with a coating to alter the taste and/or appearanceof the product, e.g., sugar, spices, seasonings (e.g., chipotle lime),oils, oil blends, chocolate, yogurt, flavorings, natural flavorings, orother suitable ingredients to affect taste and texture. For example, afruit and vegetable product may be coated with a sunflower oil (or othersuitable oil type) blend containing an oil-soluble flavoring.

The fruit and vegetable products can also be added to products such asfruit cups, baked goods, confections (e.g., chocolates), and salads(e.g., prepackaged salads and salad kits). The fruit and vegetableproducts can be added to a variety of other food products such as drymixes for baked goods, snack or trail mixes.

The fruit and vegetable products are also suitable for inclusion into awide variety of dairy products. For example, the fruit and vegetableproducts can be added to yogurt to provide products that not onlyprovide the nutrition and taste appeal of fruit or vegetable, but alsoprovide high levels of fiber. Also, the fruit and vegetable products canbe added to a variety of frozen dairy products such as ice cream or softserve frozen dairy products. The fruit products can be added to nondairyfrozen desserts such as sorbets or frozen fruit bars.

The fruit and vegetable products disclosed herein can be used in or asnutraceuticals and/or as food supplements. For example, the fruit andvegetable products can be used to supplement a food or beverage toenhance the health benefits conferred by the food or beverage. Forexample, the products can be used to supplement yogurt. The products canbe packaged in bulk or packaged for individual servings and shipped tothe consumer. For example, each package of products can contain multipledried fruit and/or vegetable products in a sealed container, where thecontainer does not transmit much moisture vapor, e.g., a low-moisture oran airtight, waterproof container. Alternatively, or in addition, apackage of fruit and/or vegetable products can include a desiccant tomaintain a lower moisture environment.

EXAMPLES

The invention is further described in the following examples, which donot limit the scope of the invention described in the claims.

Example 1

Frozen cranberries with diameter larger than 10 mm, were slightly thawedto make the skin of the berries slightly pliable. Partially thawedberries were then scarified and infused with sugar syrup to 30° Brix atroom temperature. The infused berries were then dried to 50° Brix usingan air impingement oven at 90° C. Sunflower oil at 0.5% of the weight ofpartially dried berries was sprayed on the surface of the partiallydried wrinkled berries. The berries were then placed in a vacuum oven at29.7 in Hg pressure (0.1 psi of vacuum) preheated to 90° C. The oventemperature was turned off and the vacuum chamber was allowed to cooldown to 40° C. before the vacuum was released from the chamber.

Example 2

Frozen cranberries with diameter larger than 15 mm were slightly thawedto make the skin of the berries slightly pliable. Partially thawedberries were then pricked by passing the berries through a double rollwith mounted needles. The berries were then infused with sugar syrup to35° Brix that was heated to 55° C. The infused berries were then driedto 45° Brix using an air fryer at 99° C. Sunflower oil, flavored withnatural fruit flavor was sprayed on the berries at 0.55% of the weightof partially dried berries. The berries were then placed in a vacuumoven at 29.7 in Hg pressure (0.1 psi of vacuum) preheated to 100° C. Theoven temperature was then reduced to 70° C. and then after 5 hours wasreduced to 40° C. for the vacuum chamber and the product to cool down to40° C. before the vacuum was released from the chamber. Exemplary berryproducts are shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

Example 3

Cranberries were cleaned and sorted. The cranberries were then slightlythawed, scarified and then infused with sugar syrup. Infusion can beperformed to various amounts, e.g., to a range of about 10 to 30° Brix.Here, infusion was performed to about 25° Brix, at room temperature. Theinfused cranberries were then pre-dried. Pre-drying can be performed toa range of levels, depending on the procedure, e.g., to a range of about40 to 55° Brix. Here, the cranberries were pre-dried to about 45° Brix.The cranberries were then frozen at about −40° C. Skilled practitionerswill appreciate that a range of freezing temperatures are possible,e.g., about −1° C. to about −40° C. The cranberries were thenvacuum-dried below the triple point of water (at about 0.7 mbar), firstat about 80° C. for about 6.5 hours followed by 50° C. for about 0.5hours. Skilled practitioners will appreciate that different vacuumpressures may be used, e.g., in the range of about 0.7 to about 10 mbar,as well as different vacuum temperatures (e.g., a first temperature inthe range of about 70 to 90° C. and then a reduced temperature of about40 to 60° C.) while the sublimation conditions are ensured. The vacuumdrying step was carried out for about 7 hours, but the time can bevaried depending, e.g., on the mass of berries to be treated. The finalproduct was a product above 90° Brix, and was crunchy and rounded asshown in FIGS. 11 and 12.

Other Embodiments

It is to be understood that while the invention has been described inconjunction with the detailed description thereof, the foregoingdescription is intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of theinvention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims. Otheraspects, advantages, and modifications are within the scope of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for producing a fruit or vegetableproduct, wherein the method consist essentially of: (a) infusing a wholeor sliced fruit or vegetable with an infusible molecule to about 10 toabout 55° Brix; (b) pre-drying the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable ata temperature of about 80° C. to about 120° C. to produce a pre-driedfruit or vegetable; (c) freezing the pre-dried fruit or vegetable at atemperature of about −1° C. to about −40° C. to produce a frozen fruitor vegetable; (d) exposing the frozen fruit or vegetable to atemperature of about −1° C. to about −40° C. and an atmospheric pressureof about 0.53 mmHg to about 7.5 mmHg, thereby partially subliming thefrozen fruit or vegetable; (e) puffing the fruit or vegetable undervacuum of about 0.1 mmHg to about 600 mmHg at a temperature of about 40°C. to about 110° C.; (f) cooling the fruit or vegetable under vacuum toa temperature of about 0° C. to about 40° C., to thereby produce thefruit or vegetable product, wherein steps (a) through (f) are performedsequentially.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the whole or slicedfruit or vegetable in step (a) is scarified or pricked prior toinfusing.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein juice is extracted from thewhole or sliced fruit or vegetable in step (a) prior to infusing.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the infusible molecule is selected from thegroup consisting of a monosaccharide, disaccharide, trisaccharide,oligosaccharide, polysaccharide, fiber, vitamins, minerals, proteins,flavors, salt, seasoning, or any combination thereof.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable is pre-dried instep (b) to a moisture content of about 20% to about 40%.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable is pre-driedin step (b) to a moisture content of about 40% to about 60%.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein pre-drying the fruit or vegetable isperformed with a convection dryer, air dryer, impingement dryer,microwave, infrared dryer, and/or air impinger.
 8. The method of claim1, wherein the vacuum pressure during puffing is about 10 mmHg to about600 mmHg.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the whole or sliced fruit orvegetable is a cranberry.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the wholeor sliced fruit or vegetable is dehydrated under vacuum in step (e). 11.The method of claim 1, wherein a vacuum of about 0.1 mmHg to about 600mmHg and heat at a temperature of about 40° C. to about 70° is appliedto the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable in step (e) prior to coolingthe fruit or vegetable.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein a vacuum ofabout 0.1 mmHg to about 600 mmHg and heat at a temperature of about 70°C. to about 110° C. is applied to the whole or sliced fruit or vegetablein step (e) prior to cooling the fruit or vegetable.
 13. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the fruit or vegetable product has a moisture contentof about 1% to about 7%.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the fruit orvegetable product has a moisture content of about 7% to about 15%. 15.The method of claim 1, wherein the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable isfrozen in step (c) under vacuum.
 16. A method for producing a fruit orvegetable product, wherein the method consists essentially of: (a)infusing a whole or sliced fruit or vegetable with an infusible moleculeto about 10° to about 55° Brix; (b) pre-drying the whole or sliced fruitor vegetable at a temperature of about 80° C. to about 120° C. toproduce a pre-dried fruit or vegetable; (c) exposing the pre-dried fruitor vegetable to a temperature of about −1° C. to about −40° C. and apressure of about 0.53 mmHg to about 7.5 mmHg, thereby partiallysubliming the fruit or vegetable; (d) puffing the fruit or vegetableunder vacuum of about 0.1 mmHg to about 600 mmHg at a temperature ofabout 40° C. to about 110° C.; (e) cooling the fruit or vegetable undervacuum to a temperature of about 0° C. to about 40° C., to therebyproduce the fruit or vegetable product, wherein steps (a) through (e)are performed sequentially.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein thewhole or sliced fruit or vegetable in step (a) is scarified or prickedprior to infusing.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein juice isextracted from the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable in step (a) priorto infusing the fruit or vegetable.
 19. The method of claim 16, whereinthe infusible molecule is selected from the group consisting of amonosaccharide, disaccharide, trisaccharide, oligosaccharide,polysaccharide, fiber, vitamins, minerals, proteins, flavors, salt,seasoning, or any combination thereof.
 20. The method of claim 16,wherein the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable is pre-dried in step (b)to a moisture content of about 20% to about 40%.
 21. The method of claim16, wherein the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable is pre-dried in step(b) to a moisture content of about 40% to about 60%.
 22. The method ofclaim 16, wherein pre-drying the fruit or vegetable is performed with aconvection dryer, air dryer, impingement dryer, microwave, infrareddryer, and/or air impinger.
 23. The method of claim 16, wherein thevacuum pressure during puffing is about 10 mmHg to about 600 mmHg. 24.The method of claim 16, wherein the whole or sliced fruit or vegetableis a cranberry.
 25. The method of claim 16, wherein the whole or slicedfruit or vegetable is dehydrated under vacuum in step (d).
 26. Themethod of claim 16, wherein a vacuum of about 0.1 mmHg to about 600 mmHgand heat at a temperature of about 40° C. to about 70° C. is applied tothe whole or sliced fruit or vegetable in step (d) prior to cooling thefruit or vegetable.
 27. The method of claim 16, wherein a vacuum ofabout 0.1 mmHg to about 600 mmHg and heat at a temperature of about 70°C. to about 110° C. is applied to the whole or sliced fruit or vegetablein step (d) prior to cooling the fruit or vegetable.
 28. The method ofclaim 16, wherein the fruit or vegetable product has a moisture contentof about 1% to about 7%.
 29. The method of claim 16, wherein the fruitor vegetable product has a moisture content of about 7% to about 15%.30. A method for producing a fruit or vegetable product, wherein themethod consists essentially of: (a) infusing a whole or sliced fruit orvegetable with an infusible molecule to of about 10° to about 55° Brix;(b) pre-drying the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable at a temperatureof about 80° C. to about 120° C. to produce a pre-dried fruit orvegetable; (c) freezing the pre-dried fruit or vegetable at atemperature of about −1° C. to about −40° C. to produce a frozen fruitor vegetable; (d) exposing the frozen fruit or vegetable to atemperature of about −1° C. to about −40° C. and an atmospheric pressureof about 0.53 mmHg to about 7.5 mmHg, thereby partially subliming thefrozen fruit or vegetable; (e) puffing the fruit or vegetable undervacuum of about 0.1 mmHg to about 600 mmHg at a temperature of about 40°C. to about 110° C.; (f) bringing the temperature to of about 0° C. toabout 40° C., to thereby produce the fruit or vegetable product, whereinsteps (d) and (e) are performed sequentially.
 31. The method of claim30, wherein the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable is pre-dried in step(b) to a moisture content of about 20% to about 40%.
 32. The method ofclaim 30, wherein the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable is pre-dried instep (b) to a moisture content of about 40% to about 60%.
 33. The methodof claim 30, wherein pre-drying the fruit or vegetable is performed witha convection dryer, air dryer, impingement dryer, microwave, infrareddryer, and/or air impinger.
 34. The method of claim 30, wherein thevacuum pressure during puffing is about 10 mmHg to about 600 mmHg. 35.The method of claim 30, wherein the whole or sliced fruit or vegetableis a cranberry.
 36. The method of claim 30, wherein the whole or slicedfruit or vegetable is dehydrated under vacuum in step (d).
 37. Themethod of claim 30, wherein a vacuum of about 0.1 mmHg to about 600 mmHgand heat at a temperature of about 40° C. to about 70° C. is applied tothe whole or sliced fruit or vegetable in step (e) prior to cooling thefruit or vegetable.
 38. The method of claim 30, wherein a vacuum ofabout 0.1 mmHg to about 600 mmHg and heat at a temperature of about 70°C. to about 110° C. is applied to the whole or sliced fruit or vegetablein step (e) prior to cooling the fruit or vegetable.
 39. The method ofclaim 30, wherein the fruit or vegetable product has a moisture contentof about 1% to about 7%.
 40. The method of claim 30, wherein the fruitor vegetable product has a moisture content of about 7% to about 15%.41. The method of claim 30, wherein freezing the pre-dried fruit orvegetable consists essentially of freezing the pre-dried fruit orvegetable under vacuum.
 42. A method for producing a fruit or vegetableproduct, wherein the method consists essentially of: (a) infusing awhole or sliced fruit or vegetable with an infusible molecule to ofabout 10° to about 55° Brix; (b) pre-drying the whole or sliced fruit orvegetable at a temperature of about 80° C. to about 120° C. to produce apre-dried fruit or vegetable; (c) exposing the pre-dried fruit orvegetable to a temperature about −1° C. to about −40° C. and anatmospheric pressure of about 0.53 mmHg to about 7.5 mmHg therebypartially subliming the fruit or vegetable; (d) puffing the fruit orvegetable under vacuum of about 0.1 mmHg to about 600 mmHg at atemperature of about 40° C. to about 110° C.; (e) bringing thetemperature to of about 0° C. to about 40° C., to thereby produce thefruit or vegetable product, wherein steps (c) and (d) are performedsequentially.
 43. The method of claim 42, wherein the whole or slicedfruit or vegetable is pre-dried in step (b) to a moisture content ofabout 20% to about 40%.
 44. The method of claim 42, wherein the whole orsliced fruit or vegetable is pre-dried in step (b) to a moisture contentof about 40% to about 60%.
 45. The method of claim 42, whereinpre-drying the fruit or vegetable is performed with a convection dryer,air dryer, impingement dryer, microwave, infrared dryer, and/or airimpinger.
 46. The method of claim 42, wherein the vacuum pressure duringpuffing is about 10 mmHg to about 600 mmHg.
 47. The method of claim 42,wherein the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable is a cranberry.
 48. Themethod of claim 42, wherein the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable isdehydrated under vacuum in step (d).
 49. The method of claim 42, whereina vacuum of about 0.1 mmHg to about 600 mmHg and heat at a temperatureof about 40° C. to about 70° C. is applied to the whole or sliced fruitor vegetable in step (d) prior to cooling the fruit or vegetable. 50.The method of claim 42, wherein a vacuum of about 0.1 mmHg to about 600mmHg and heat at a temperature of about 70° C. to about 110° C. C isapplied to the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable in step (d) prior tocooling the fruit or vegetable.
 51. The method of claim 42, wherein thefruit or vegetable product has a moisture content of about 1% to about7%.
 52. The method of claim 42, wherein the fruit or vegetable producthas a moisture content of about 7% to about 15%.